New Zealand was off to a proper start on Day 3 of the 2019-21 ICC World Test Championship 2019-21 final against New Zealand at the Rose Bowl in Southampton on Sunday. It was the 70-run opening stand, anchored by Devon Conway's 54, which kept NZ on top, while bad light yet again forced early stumps, with NZ trailing by 116 runs.
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Winning the toss, NZ skipper Kane Williamson elected to bowl first under overcast conditions. The Indians batted reasonably well, with Kohli and Rahane remaining unbeaten overnight.
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Resuming at the overnight score of 1463, Kohli and Rahane looked to get going from right where they left off. However, the pair was off to a plodding start, as just three runs later, the former fell for 44 to pacer Kyle Jamieson after being trapped leg-before.
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In came wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant, but the Kiwis continues to bowl in a disciplined manner, as at 156, he fell for mere four to the same man after edging it to Tom Latham. A 26-run stand between Rahane and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja followed it before the former fell short of his 24th Test half-century after being caught by Latham in the same position off pacer Neil Wagner.
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It followed a 23-run stand between Jadeja and fellow all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin. Just when it seemed that they were finding the rhythm, pacer Tim Southee ended the latter's reign, who departed for 22 after being caught by Latham again at 2057.
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Since then, Jadeja has taken a slender control of the innings along with Ishant Sharma. The duo managed to add six runs before lunch as the score read 2117.
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Just after lunch, Ishant was caught by Ross Taylor off Jamieson for four at 213, while the very next delivery saw Jasprit Bumrah depart for an unfortunate duck after being trapped leg-before by the same man. Meanwhile, it was four runs later when Jadeja fell for 15 to Trent Boult after being taken behind by BJ Watling, while India could manage 217.
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As for the Kiwis, they utilised five bowlers, while all of them happened to be pacers. In the meantime, Jamieson was the most impactful bowler, both in terms of wickets and economy, claiming a fifer.
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With the Kiwis coming out to bat, opener Latham and Conway ensured that they bat steady. Although the Indian pacers produced some seam movement, it has hardly troubled the openers.
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In contrast, it hasn't allowed them to score openly, as the condition does not suit such gameplay currently. Although there were a few close shaves, it has not harmed the Kiwis, as they remain 360 at tea.
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The post-tea session saw the pair taking a slightly bold approach as they contributed to a 70-run stand. However, Latham could not convert his fine start to a big score, falling for 30 to Ashwin after being caught by Kohli at mid-off.
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In came Williamson, and along with Conway, the duo added 31 more, while the latter brought up his third Test half-century. Nonetheless, pacer Ishant Sharma got rid of him for 54 after being caught by Mohammed Shami at mid-wicket.
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It was then the pair of Williamson and Ross Taylor who was out at the crease. However, just a couple of deliveries later, bad light forced another stoppage in play, while the umpires decided to call it a day, as NZ trailed by 116 runs.
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Considering Indian bowling, five bowlers have been put into the attack. However, while Ishant and Ashwin claimed a wicket each, the former turned out to be economical.Brief scores: India 2117 (Rahane- 49; Jamieson- 531) leads New Zealand 1012 (Conway- 54; Ishant- 119) by 116 runs.NOTE: Asianet News humbly requests everyone to wear masks, sanitise, maintain social distancing and get vaccinated as soon as eligible. Together we can and will break the chain #ANCares #IndiaFightsCorona
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